29 August 2023 Reviews
The latest offering from Jen Lush, ‘Hum of the Mettle’, is crafted from contemporary Australian poetry and was commissioned for the Denmark Festival of Voice (WA). Each track creates an abundant scenery of instruments, blending playful electric and acoustic guitar parts with a bed of gorgeous keys. These instruments are backed up with the drums and bass, taking the backseat texturally, but still being vital to the flow and movement of the songs. Above all of this is Jen’s vocal performance. She perfectly portrays the poetic aspect of the album, the delivery feels like spoken word, but Lush brings a melodic rise and fall that adds a whole other level to the music. The combination of everything gives the audience a project that is consistent in its feelings and message, but varied enough from song to song to maintain interest.
On the new album, Lush shares, “This record came out of a commissioned project to create new songs around contemporary Australian poetry. It features the words of five of Australia’s leading published poets and crosses through the urban and desert terrain of South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia with poems that speak of love and desolation, loss and memory, the resilience of the country and the stories held within it.
I want to share the poetry that roared, bled, whispered and sang into my skin and caused me to sing it back. As a collection they form a dynamic range from epic 70’s rock soundscapes, sudden storms of explosive pop, driving indie folk-rock and whispering, sparse ballads that build to cathartic crescendos. The band blends vocals stark and spacious over sonorous acoustic and electric guitars, keys, bass, drums and percussion, with storytelling always at the centre.”
Adelaide singer-songwriter Jen Lush is known for her dynamic, intimate and adventurous new music. She has spent a decade with folk band Cat Dog Bird and has been releasing music as a solo artist since 2017. Since then she has appeared at festivals and venues throughout Australia. Lush’s 2021 album ‘Let Loose The Beating Birds’, reached #11 on Three D’s top 100+1 for 2021, as well as winning the ARBA Roots Album of the Year. It also gained attention from tastemakers and radio stations.